Lithium nucleation modulated by light induced nanowelding to improve lithium metal anode collectors

Abstract Lithium metal (Li) has been regarded as one of the most ideal anode materials for next-generation high-energy-density batteries, but the problem of uncontrollable growth of Li dendrites leading to poor cycling stability of Li-metal batteries has seriously limited the practical application and development of Li-metal batteries. Uniform deposition of lithium is the key to solve this problem, but it is difficult to realize on commercial copper collectors (CuCCs). In this study, a simple and efficient strategy is adopted: the lithophilic surface modification of CuCCs with AgNWs, and the innovative introduction of photoluminescent nano-welding technology to achieve the stability of the silver nanowire network structure and improve the electrochemical performance. The results show that the cycling stability is improved by 170 and 140 cycles at 0.5 mA cm⁻² and 1.0 mA cm⁻².